


Post-Civil War

by vala411



Series: Avengers Divergent AUs [4]
Category: Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Canon Divergence - Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Canon Divergence - Post-Thor: Ragnarok (2017), Not Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Compliant
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-14
Updated: 2019-06-05
Packaged: 2020-03-05 15:02:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,962
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18831058
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vala411/pseuds/vala411
Summary: Loki and Bucky came to live with Tony in the Tower. But what got them there in the first place? (Part 4 of the Avengers Divergent AU)





	1. Chapter 1

**Post-Civil War**

**The Beginning**

**Part 1: How Tony got a Loki**

_“Do you think it’s a good idea to bring me back to Earth?” Loki asked with a raised brow._

_“Probably not, but I wouldn’t worry brother,” Thor stated as he looked at Loki before turning back to the large window of the spaceship they, and every other Asgardian and some ex-gladiators, were on which showed thousands of twinkling stars. “I feel like everything is going to work out fine,”_

_Loki nodded but then stopped when his mouth opened in shock at the gigantic ship, appearing in front of them out of nowhere, that was starting to obscure their view._

_What followed next was utter chaos and destruction._

Loki woke up with a start and sat bolt upright, realizing that it was just a dream. He really wished he hadn’t because the pain in his abdomen actually made him buckle over. Strong arms grabbed his shoulders and eased him down again. “Easy there brother,” a voice said and Loki looked to his left to see Thor standing there with that bright smile of his while dressed in a black Tshirt that had a ‘Hello Kitty’ image on it and jeans.

“Where are we?” Loki muttered, “And what is that ridiculous thing you’re wearing?”

“Oh, do you like it brother?” Thor beamed. “I could get you one if you wish. Friend Peter recommended it.”

“Who is Peter and where exactly are we?” Loki now asked, his voice not raising but he still looked around in suspicion. Thor opened his mouth to say something but a voice interrupted them. “Mr. Thor!! The Poptarts are done!”

Loki looked towards the door and saw a lanky kid walk in with a plate of Poptarts. When the kid caught sight of him he let out a ‘manly’ squeak before saying nervously “Oh Mr. Loki! You’re awake!” with such surprise.

“Thor who is this?” Loki hissed. He wasn’t used to waking up in strange places, though the decor of the room did look familiar to him.

“Brother, this is Peter, son of Stark!” Thor said brightly as he clapped the teen on the shoulder.

“Woah, Woah, Woah,” Peter raised his hands up. “I’m not Tony’s son. I’m the…. Ehm……. Intern. Yeah, the intern.” This caused Loki to snort.

“What?” Peter asked in confusion as he looked at Loki and then at Thor who also snorted.

“Loki’s magic can tell truth from lie.” Thor elaborated. “But even I don’t need magic to see it.” This caused Peter to blush as the big blonde god of thunder clapped the teenager on the back, nearly making him spill the plate that had copious amounts of poptarts.

“Underoos where are you?” Came the question from the area outside of the room. “Friday where is everyone?”

“Boss everyone is currently in the guest bedroom.” A voice startled Loki and he looked around.

“Don’t worry brother. That is Friday. Tony’s digital ladyfriend.” Thor proclaimed.

“Indeed Mr. Odinson,” The voice stated. “And greetings to Mr. Loki. I did not wish to startle you at first.” Loki nodded and his eyes widened when Tony entered the room.

“Fri baby you are going to make Pepper jealous again,” Tony warned.

“YOU!” Loki pointed a finger at Tony.

“Me!” Tony spread his arms wide as if to emphasize the point.

“What are you doing here?” Loki asked.

“Eh… I live here? Fri baby, I do live here, right?” Tony joked.

“Of course sir,” The AI answered.

Loki turned to Thor and hissed “You brought me here?! Really?!”

“Well, the man of Iron was very accommodating.” Thor answered sheepishly.

“Did you forget brother….” Loki stressed, “That I threw him out of a window?”

“Hey, hey, all is good Rock of Ages,” Tony butted in. “Thor explained about the whole Thanos and mind-control thing during the week you’ve been out cold.”

“WEEK?!” This time Loki did shout. “How, what…. HOW?!”

“Do you not remember brother?” Thor asked with a hint of worry.

“After the beating he took?” Tony muttered more to himself. “Maybe we should have Strange examine him again.”

“If you think I’m letting that two-bit sorcerer anywhere near me!” Loki growled before going into a coughing fit. All three of the standing occupants tried to step forward but Loki held his hand up, stopping them mid-step.

“Brother what’s the last thing you remember?” Thor asked with a frown.

Loki pursed his lips but did answer “One of Thanos’ oh-so-devoted minions boarded the ship and demanded we hand over the Tesseract. But I never took the Tesseract from Asgard.” Loki muttered.

“You can imagine from the state of the ship we landed in,” Thor added.  
“Crashed,” Tony corrected. “You guys crashed on a farm in Oklahoma.”

“Landed, crashed, either way Thanos took great offense to the destruction of the Tesseract,” Thor added. “When it became indeed apparent that we did not possess the cube his ship started firing upon us indiscriminately. Brother, you got injured by shrapnel flying about as you were using your magic to keep the ship together. The Midgardian sorcerer Strange said you should be just fine.”

“So that’s why my magic feels so exhausted.” Loki muttered. “I wonder if it would have been better if I had saved the Tesseract from the vault.”

“Well who cares about that right now,” Tony shrugged. “Come on. Let me show you where you’ll be staying.”

“Staying?” Loki queried as he stood up and followed the others out. “Here?!”

“Well yeah,” Tony quirked a brow as if it was obvious. “Thor cleared up the whole New York incident but apparently the Accords council is still a bit leery of you. I managed to talk them down from confining you to the new SHIELD headquarters to letting you stay here in the Tower. So Reindeer Games, you got a floor all to yourself, with the marvelous Friday to help you out.”

“Boss-you flatterer,” the AI mock-gushed.

“Brucey-bear’s floor is just below, and wasn’t that a surprise,” Tony wagged his brows. “You and the Green Bean actually get along now.”

“I wouldn’t say……. Get along…..” Loki mumbled. “So I’m basically your prisoner?”

“The deal the Accords council struck is pretty generous,” Tony said. “I’ve had Fri baby forward it to the pad in your new rooms. I’m sure you’ll have nothing to worry about.”

“Really……….?” Loki asked sceptically.

“Well maybe Big Ross,” Tony said. “Honestly, I like little Ross better. Friday why haven’t we heard from little Ross in a while?”

“It says medical leave sir,” Friday answered.

“And your other teammates?” Loki asked. “Surely they wouldn’t want me here?”

“Yeah, me and them are no longer on speaking terms,” Tony muttered and Loki might have seen a flinch but he couldn’t be sure. The group continued down to the new floor but his phone rang in the elevator. Tony answered it with a “Why hello your kittyness!”

“What?!” Tony asked which caused the other elevator occupants to look in his direction. “Run that by me again. How did you lose someone of that bulk?”

“Okay, okay. I’ll keep my eyes and ears open,” Tony ended the call and looked at all the curious faces.

“Welp…….. Wakanda just lost the Winter Soldier,”


	2. Chapter 2

**Part 2: How Steve lost a Bucky**

T'Challa sighed as he wearily rubbed his eyes. He had been staring at the same document for almost five minutes. The pile of paperwork on his desk wasn’t diminishing either, especially not since the coup his cousin had tried to pull almost two months ago. There had been numerous Accords meetings to amend several details, including Enhanced anonymity and safety, documents about the aid sent to Bucharest, and now thanks to the coup he had to reorganize the Wardogs as well. To hear that several had easily sided with Killmonger had been disconcerting to say the least.

“Brother!” Shuri barged into his office, slamming the wooden door open with great force. T’Challa glared at his sister and said “If you cracked it again...”

“There is no time for that brother, look!” Shuri said with urgency as she turned on the flatscreen TV that was mounted on the wall between two bookcases.

The TV flickered to a News station that showed a blonde reporter standing in front of a wheat field. Further back a huge cloud of smoke could be seen as well as the body of a large rectangular spaceship that had crash-landed into the field.

“ _This is Christine Everhart from WHiH World News reporting to you live on the scene of what appears to be a crash landing of a spacecraft not from Earth. Reports are sketchy at the moment and several eyewitnesses said they could see the trail of the craft for several miles. So far, the eyewitnesses report that the craft apparently changed course mid-descent. Contacts tell us off the record that when it entered the atmosphere its projected path had put it crashing right into the middle of a heavily populated area but the craft changed course to the North West and finally ended up here. The only damage of note is the wheat field behind us and part of the road leading to a nearby farmhouse. So far the authorities have cordoned off the area and this is as close to the craft as we can go. We have just received reports that the New Avengers have been contacted and both Ironman and Warmachine are on route._ ”

“That is…….” T’Challa mumbled.

“I know, right! Real aliens!” Shuri exclaimed.

“They might pose a threat…..” T’Challa frowned as he kept watching the news.

“Are you kidding brother,” Shuri rolled her eyes. “You heard what that reporter said. “They purposely avoided crashing into a town.”

“Still……” T’Challa was skeptical.

“Look, let’s just agree to disagree for now on that for now. That is not why I am here.” Shuri stated as she placed both of her hands on her brother's desk and leaned in, nearly knocking over a pile of paper.

“It’s not?” T’Challa asked.

“No, I want you to have a talk with the good ole Captain. He’s hindering Bucky’s recovery.” Shuri bluntly said. “I can’t stand to hear him go at it in my lab anymore and Okoye also wants to spear him to a desk for his behaviour.”

“Just what did Captain Rodgers do?” T’Challa asked as he put down the papers he had been reading, or at least attempting to read. If Okoye was also threatening violence things could not be good.

“So it’s been two months since we managed to wipe most of the Hydra triggers from Sergeant Barnes’ mind, but we can’t do more than that.” Shuri told him sadly. “Then Tony Stark hacked my computer,”

“Wait, Dr. Stark hacked your computer?” T’Challa was surprised. “Isn’t your computer……” He made a motion with his hands. Shuri’s computers had more encryptions than the Pentagon. If Stark could hack that then he was a force to be reckoned with.

“Yes, I have to update my security again. I did give him my Skype address though.” Shuri smiled. “Also he knows the Rogues are here.”

“I…… eh…..” T’Challa swallowed.

“Don’t worry so much brother. He doesn’t blame you for giving them asylum. Especially since you found out what Rodgers did.” Shuri looked mad now. “I mean who leaves a man behind. If Bucky hadn’t told you and asked to go back to check on Dr. Stark……. Well, the world would be one genius shorter now.”

“He knows?!” T’Challa was too stunned to ask anything else.

“Yes, he told me to thank his Kittyness and Elsa for helping him.” Shuri snorted at the names. “But I digress. So the reason Dr. Stark called was because he wanted to share the BARF technology with us to help Bucky get rid of the last of the triggers. You must have already heard about this new technology.”

“Well that’s great!” T’Challa said while nodding.

“I thought so too, Bucky thought so too, at least until Rodgers heard about it.” Shuri now rolled her eyes.

“Wait, what happened?” T’Challa now asked as a frown formed on his face.

“Steve was venomously against using the BARF tech and went on about how Dr. Stark was self-absorbed and was probably going to use this to hurt Bucky. Of course Sergeant Barnes didn’t tell him off. He never tells Rodgers off. He just takes it.”

“Sergeant Barnes is a grown man. If he wanted to tell his friend to stop……”

“That’s just it brother. I don’t think he can.” Shuri angrily slammed her fist on the desk.

“Shuri, what?” T’Challa asked.

“I’m saying, Sergeant Barnes has a difficulty making choices. He spent over seventy years having his free will taken away from him. Now he doesn’t know what to do with the freedom he has. Captain Rodgers might not do it consciously but he is continuously pressuring Bucky.” Shuri stated. “I’ve overheard them talking. At first I thought it was of the good old days but then I realized that Bucky looked uncomfortable. When I asked him why, he told me he didn’t remember the good ole days Rodgers was talking about. That the Bucky Rodgers knew didn’t exist anymore.”

“That’s disconcerting,” T’Challa said. “How did the Captain take this?”

“Bucky couldn’t bear to say no to Rodgers so I had a little chat with him. The man actually had the gall to tell me that I didn’t know what I was talking about and that Bucky was in there somewhere.” Shuri now furiously ranted. “The Sergeant has endured almost seventy years of torture. There is no way he would be the same man anymore but the Captain is still adamant. I fear that this will turn out badly.”

“What about BARF?” T’Challa asked.

“Bucky wants it, Rodgers doesn’t want it, and is now hanging around my lab like a mother hen.” Shuri muttered. “Today Bucky actually shouted at Steve to ‘back the hell away’ and you know what that happened?”

“What happened?” T’Challa asked, now looking more worried.

“Good ole Cap just flashed those baby blues of his and gave Bucky his kicked puppy dog routine. One guess who caved.” Shuri muttered. “I don’t care what anyone else says. I know emotional manipulation when I see it! Brother you need to have a talk with Captain Rodgers before I give Okoye permission to use her spear collection.”

T’Challa nodded his agreement. The news was disconcerting to say the least. Shuri was very defensive about this type of behavior, especially when……., No it was not time to think of that. For now he had better confront the Captain about this matter.

T’Challa didn’t have to look far to find Steve Rodgers. The man was indeed as his sister told him, hovering in the lab while the scientists were doing some tests. “Captain, a moment of your time.”

“T’Challa,” Steve greeted and Okoye who was accompanying her King glared at him for not using proper address. Okoye muttered something in Xhosa causing T’Challa to raise a brow at her.

“I wish to speak to you, privately.” The King said indicated for Steve to follow him to a quiet section of the lab. Okoye stayed behind and then gave a nod to Bucky who had watched Steve go.

“Ma’am,” Bucky greeted.

“I told you so many times not to call me ma’am. Okoye will do just fine,” The Dora stated with a raised brow, a hint of fondness in her voice that she barely suppressed. “What is the Captain all huffy about now?”

“He found out about me practicing with the Dora,” Bucky sighed. “Wasn’t too pleased about it.”

“We do not normally let outsiders watch our training.” Okoye stated. “And the other ladies learned a lot from your fighting styles. He should be happy you are getting along with others.”

“I just…… I just wished he would stop treating me with kid gloves. When I clean my guns, when I throw knives, even when I start speaking in Russian. It’s always Bucky wouldn’t do that.”

“Have you told him how you feel?” Okoye asked.

“Eh……. I…. eh………” Bucky mumbled.

“You’re afraid you would hurt his feelings.” Okoye stated as she looked at the former assassin. “If Wakabi had ever talked to me like that I would have shoved his face in the rhino dung,” She said just as T’Challa and Steve came back. Steve looked a bit put out but he bid Bucky goodbye and left the lab without any trouble. T’Challa thought everything would work out, now that he and Rodgers had had a heart to heart about the matter.

The matter seemed to have been settled and Rodgers didn’t show up at the lab again but met Bucky afterwards. T’Challa had heard from the Dora that they were usually in the garden. So no one expected what happened a week later. It was already well past midnight when there was frantic knocking on T’Challa’s bedchamber door.

“Enter!” T’Challa called as he woke up and grabbed the robe that was hanging nearby.

“My King,” Ayo greeted, giving a short bow. “Something urgent has happened.”

Ayo, accompanied by another Dora Milaje, led T’Challa to the wing that housed the Rogues. When they got there he could see that the door to Bucky’s room was off its hinges. Against the wall laid a slumped and unconscious Wanda. The smear of blood on the back of the wall was concerning. A Dora was checking Wanda over and told T’Challa that miraculously she might just get away with a concussion.

T’Challa then peered into the room and saw Okoye and two other Dora pinning down Steve Rodgers who was sporting a busted lip, possibly a black eye. He could not see any other injuries but that didn’t mean that there weren’t.

“What happened here?!” T’Challa asked as he was getting both angry and annoyed.

“The Dora on guard duty for this wing alerted me that there was a fight happening in Sergeant Barnes’ room.” Okoye said. “When I arrived on the scene Sergeant Barnes was nowhere to be seen and the witch was unconscious like that. Rodgers tried to leave the room so we subdued him.

“And where is Sergeant Barnes now?”

“We don’t know,” Okoye stated.

“Well that’s just great brother.” Shuri now arrived at the scene in her nightgown. “You lost a white boy…… in Wakanda!”

“Not now Shuri,” T’Challa warned. “We need to find out what happened.”

“I can tell you exactly what happened,” Shury said as she fiddled with two of the beads on her bracelet. A small screen appeared that showed the security footage. When it was done T’Challa actually glared at Rodgers.

“I can….” Steve started but T’Challa held up a hand.

“Save it,” The King growled. “What did you think would happen when you decided to have the witch there try and use mind magic on your friend?”

“I just…… I just wanted Bucky back,” Steve answered.

“Well now you lost him all over again,” Shuri said with much contempt.

“Get the woman some medical attention and throw both of them in the cells.” T’Challa ordered. “I will deal with you two later.”

“What now brother?” Shuri asked as she watched the Dora haul a shocked Steve away.

“Now I have a call to make,” T’Challa sighed.


	3. Chapter 3

**The Middle**

**Part 3: Tony’s terrible night**

“Mr. Loki!” Friday called urgently in the dead of night but, Asgardian or not, the trickster kept on snoring, face buried into the comfiest pillow he had ever felt; not that said trickster would admit it. “MR. LOKI!!!” Friday now shouted while blaring the alarms in his room.

Loki shot up, conjured knife in each hand, as he looked around frantically. “What in Norns name?!” He shouted as Friday added some light to his room.

“I’m so glad you’re awake Mr. Loki,” Friday said as she stopped the alarms. “We have a bit of a situation.”

“What kind of situation?” Loki asked, now completely awake.

“Boss fell asleep in the workshop and now he’s having a panic attack.” Friday explained, while sounding very worried, as Loki magicked a robe and left the room. The lights along the hallway were guiding him to the workshop as Friday continued to explain.

“...and Mr. Vision is currently helping out in Australia, and Mr. Rhodey is on a mission for the military……” Friday kept talking. Loki thought it might be something she does to try and stay calm. “Miss Potts is landing tonight and there is no one else with access to the lab.”

“Wait, I have access to the lab?” Loki nearly stopped in his tracks.

“You do Mr. Loki. Both you and Thor as well as Doctor Banner have access to the lab.” Friday informed him. “Also Doctor Banner isn’t currently in the Tower since he is helping with the Asgardian relocation.”

“Right,” Loki said as he reached the end of a set of stairs that opened up into a wide lab. There was a transparent door in front of him with a keypad. “Uhm… Friday?”

The AI opened the door and Loki stepped into the workshop. He was looking around at the white walls and all the machinery strewn about, trying to find Stark when a large robot claw suddenly grabbed his robe and tugged. Loki had only been here a week so he hadn’t met any of the bots yet but by the way Tony described them then this must be DUM-E.

The bot tugged and rolled across the workshop to a small alcove. Loki’s eyes widened when he saw Tony huddled there, his head against his drawn up knees, and his breathing erratic.

“Anthony?” Loki called, not yet touching the man. “Can you look at me?” There was a bit of movement and Tony’s eye peered up at Loki who had crouched down.

“Go away,” Tony’s muffled voice could be heard in the workshop that was silent for the most part. The whirring of worried bots was still noticeable though.

“How about we get you to bed?” Loki prodded.

“Not sleepy…… can’t sleep……..” Tony answered in that same muffled voice.

“Why can’t you sleep?” Loki now asked. He still hadn’t heard much about what had happened between Tony and the rest of the team and even Thor knew only the bare bones. He just had this feeling that it had something to do with them.

“Phone……..” Was all Tony said and then somewhat pointed at a discarded box on the floor. Loki turned to where Tony had pointed and saw the broken remains of a flip phone strewn about. A cardboard box was on the floor as well as a crumpled piece of paper.

Tony wasn’t very talkative, which was both a wonder and worrisome. Loki scanned the short letter that appeared to be from Rodgers and then looked back at Tony. He didn’t have much context to go with the letter but if it sent Anthony into a fit like this then there must be more to it. It didn’t look like Tony would even be moving soon and Loki was no expert on panic attacks so he did the only thing he could think of to get his host’s breathing under control.

A small mew caught Tony’s attention not a minute later and the man looked up slightly to see a black cat with forest green eyes staring back at him. “Loki?” Tony asked more to himself but when he leaned back a bit to get a closer look, the cat took the opportunity to jump in his lap and settle there.

“Hey now!” Tony exclaimed only to have a black fur paw boop his nose twice.

“Really Loki?!” Tony uttered as he gripped the cat around the waist. “You-Hey, this is really soft fur,” Tony mumbled as he absentmindedly started running his fingers through the cat’s fur. Tony was a bit out of it as he kept stroking the cat and scratching behind its ears. “Hmmm, this is nice,” The engineer muttered.

Loki flicked his cat ears and curled up further on Tony’s lap. His cat form seems to have done the trick of distracting the man a bit. He flicked his black fluffy tail around Anthony’s wrist and settled down for the night. If the man wasn’t going to move then at least he’d stay warm. That was how the pair fell asleep.

Tony opened his eyes the following morning. His back and knees felt stiff but that’s what you get from sleeping in an alcove. Tony remembered some of the events of last night. Waking up from a nightmare featuring Siberia and then seeing the package that he had yet to open on his desk. He really wished he hadn’t opened that package. A faint meow could be heard and Tony looked down to see a cat asleep on his stomach, legs splayed and tail wagging lazily.

“Loki?” Tony asked with a bit of uncertainty. He didn’t remember adopting a cat. His finger poked the cat’s belly and the feline batted his hand away with a paw before continuing to sleep.

“Lazy cat… god… eh.. Ish,” Tony mumbled. “Can you please turn back now?” He asked and the lazy cat shot him an annoyed look before hopping off of his stomach and transforming back.

“How do you even do that?” Tony asked, more curious than ever.

“Transformation magic, surely Thor told you about it.” Loki raised a brow. “Feeling better yet?”

“Yeah Thor told me about the snake and the stabbing when you guys were eight. And yeah, surprisingly I do feel better.” Tony mumbled.

“Good now we can have food.” Loki stated. “I’m cooking,”

“Wait, what?!” Tony asked as he followed after Loki.

“I could eat a horse,” Loki said as they went up the stairs.

“I hope you mean that figuratively.” Tony mumbled.

When they were back in Tony’s penthouse things turned more domestic than Tony would have ever thought. He sat on a stool at the kitchen island while Loki was raiding his fridge. “How can you have so little food in here?!” Loki asked as he placed some eggs on the counter and butter.  
“I usually just buy food,” Tony mumbled.

Loki just huffed and then proceeded to uproot the pots and pans. “Thor stole the girl I liked.” He said and Tony looked up at the still crouching god.

“Wait, what?”

“Me stabbing Thor when we were eight,” Loki explained as he came back out with a large frying pan. “I told him I liked this girl and the next day I see him asking her out on a playdate,” Loki grumbled.

“So you stabbed him?” Tony quirked a brow.

“So I stabbed him,” Loki nodded while cracking some eggs.

“Youch,” Tony said just as the doors to the penthouse opened. Pepper walked in and stopped dead in her tracks at the scene before her. You’d think that she’d scream when seeing Loki, since Tony hadn’t told her yet that he would be staying in the Tower.

“Eh….. Hiya Pep,” Tony greeted. Loki turned slightly and gave a short nod along with a “Morning miss,”

Pepper merely blinked at the absurdity of the scene she was seeing and then nodded before saying to Tony in astonishment “You haven’t devoured the coffee pot yet.” She mumbled. “And you’re eating actual food for breakfast?”

“Well…. Eh……” Now it was Tony’s turn to look sheepish. “Figured I just might since I was using Loki as a plushie last night.”

“What?” Pepper’s eyes gazed between the two. Loki had no clue what a plushie was so he just kept making the food. Soon he slipped a plate of four omelets in front of Tony. Pepper just sat quietly watching and mumbled “Tony is eating breakfast,”

“Really Pep? Really?” Tony asked while scarfing down the eggs. He was hungry and this just tasted, mind the pun, out of this world.

“Tony?” Pepper asked, getting his attention. Her longtime friend turned to her slightly and then she pointed at Loki. “We are keeping him, right?”


	4. Chapter 4

**Part 4: T’Challa’s terrible day**

To say that Everett Ross would still be astounded by the technological marvel that was Wakanda, would be an understatement. Even if he had spent the better part of two months under the care of Wakandan doctors, going from surgery to surgery, he would still be amazed by everything. Especially since Shuri took time out of her schedule to show him how their tech worked.

Today the doctors finally gave the green light for him to actually get out of bed. He was still on crutches since some injuries just couldn’t be healed in one day yet, like bullet wounds. The fact that there was so much to be discovered, even in Wakanda, made things all the more interesting.

Ross made it to T’Challa’s office that morning with relative ease. He nodded to the Dora who were standing guard and one even helped open the door for him.

“Your Highness,” Ross greeted, causing the man to jerk his head up. The King was drowning in paperwork and had probably not heard the knock. The crutches made a rhythmic sound as he ambled into the office.

“Agent Ross, I did not think you would be visiting me,” T’Challa really did sound surprised and indicated to the plush chair opposite of him. Ross sank down in it with a relieved groan. Even if the crutches did ease the burden it was nice to just sit down. Everett placed the crutches he had been given against the chair and then said “With you visiting me every day in the medical wing, I thought I could at least return the gesture once I’ve been cleared.”

T’Challa laughed but then said “After all you’ve done for us. Our medical expertise are the least we could offer you,” The king thought back to the day of the rebellion. After his cousin had died he had received an urgent communique from Shuri. She was more screaming into his earpiece than actually being coherent. When he got down to her lab, which was in shambles, he saw her crouching over an injured Everett. The attack on the lab had left the agent with third-degree burns, damaged nerves, and a shattered leg because he couldn’t have outrun the blast. To see the agent up and about after two months of intensive surgeries to repair the damage was a welcome sight. “How can I help you agent Ross?” T’Challa asked since he was somewhat confused.

“Well….” Ross now mumbled, looking a little more unsure. “Shuri told me that you are getting ready to reveal Wakanda to the world at the UN next month.” T’Challa nodded at this. “I was wondering if you might need some help. All this paperwork can’t be good for you, and I don’t exactly want to be a moocher. With all these medical procedures piling up, the least I could do is offer my help.”

“Agent Ross, Everett,” T’Challa said, getting the attention of the man by using his first name. “You aren’t mooching. In fact it is Wakanda that owes you a great depth of gratitude. If those weapons had left the border……” The implications T’Challa had left unsaid painted a grim picture. “You were not even in the line of duty when getting injured.”

“Still all this paperwork doesn’t seem pleasant,” Ross observed.

“It isn’t,” T’Challa grimaced “But I can’t have you helping me. Think of what Shuri or my mother would say,” This got a laugh out of Ross. “You still have a month of physical therapy to go through. My sister would practically skin me alive if I were to let you help.”

“Speaking of Shuri, she told me what happened last week.” Everett muttered. “I still can’t believe it.”

“The fact that I gave asylum to known fugitives, or that Captain Rodgers was in fact attempting something unethical?” T’Challa questioned.

“I think it’s a bit of both,” Ross stated. “I can take a guess as to why you offered asylum, even if Wakanda is one of the main driving forces behind the Accords. The other issue is a bit more surprising. It makes me wonder just how much Rodgers actually acclimated to the 21st century. SHIELD should have provided him with therapy until the fall. To even attempt something this dangerous to a person who had their mind previously messed with………”

“Seems like you’re sympathizing Agent Ross.” T’Challa observed.

“I can be sympathetic, even if the person in question still has to stand trial.” Ross muttered. “General Ross, and we aren’t at all related mind you, seems to think that all the Super Soldiers and Enhanced should be locked up, regardless of circumstances. Rodgers did no one a favor by going against the Accords. What he was spouting got people thinking that he hadn’t even read the document.”

“You have a point there,” T’Challa stated. “But as of a week ago they are no longer Wakanda’s problem. Okoye made sure to escort them out of our borders.”

“The fate of the Captain and his band of merry men aside, are you sure there is nothing I can help you with?” Ross asked.

“Don’t worry agent Ross. Just relax and recuperate.” T’Challa told him. Everett nodded and made to stand up. Grabbing the crutches which he would need for about two more weeks. “I don’t think Shuri told you yet but mother would like to meet you for tea once you’re better.” T’Challa added as he watched the man stop, turn slightly, quirk a brow and then nod.

When Ross was out of the office he made his way down the corridors. He decided to take the scenic route back to his room in the West wing and came to the junction that had the large bay windows overlooking the beautiful and expansive inner gardens. This was the junction that led to either the West wing of the palace or the East wing. It was usually quiet here so the loud voice that Ross picked up was somewhat surprising. The lack of Wakandan accent was another surprise. So when Ross turned to the direction of the East wing his eyes widened at who he spotted. It was none other than Barton and Wilson. Neither of the fugitives had spotted Ross yet so he shuffled back into the previous corridor as quietly as he could and peeked around the corner. Both men were heading in the opposite direction.

Ross frowned as things weren’t adding up. He managed to pick up part of the conversation that seemed to have Barton in a snit. “ _.......Can you believe Stark?!_ ” Barton had grumbled loudly. “ _That interview with Everhart was just a load of rubbish!_ ”

“ _He’s the media’s darling. What do you expect?_ ” Wilson could be heard muttering as they were getting farther away.

“ _I expected the man to have some common sense._ ” Barton could be heard angrily shouting. “ _How… How could he come to the defense of Loki of all people! That guy’s nothing more than a mind-raping piece of….._ ” Ross didn’t hear anymore but he found the whole thing to be somewhat hypocritical. Didn’t the Avengers already take in someone who could manipulate minds? But that was beside the point right now. Ross did an about-face and made his way back towards T’Challa’s office.

The King was surprised to see Ross back, this time watching him with a somewhat suspicious look. “Why did you lie?” Ross asked and T’Challa frowned because he had no idea what he had lied about.

“About what exactly?” T’Challa prodded.

“The fugitives! They’re still in the palace.” Ross uttered.

“What?” The King asked, his brows raising almost to his hairline. “That’s impossible!”

“I just saw Barton and Wilson in the corridor but they didn’t see me,” Ross explained. “You can check the security feeds if you’re still skeptical.”

T’Challa blinked for a moment before he turned to his computer. It was easy to call up the security feeds for the palace. He watched the one where it showed Everett leaving his office just moments ago and followed the cameras from there. Ross was leaning on his crutches and was watching T’Challa. He didn’t know what to think right now. “There’s nothing here agent Ross.” T’Challa finally spoke and now it was Ross’ turn to be surprised. He ambled forward and around T’Challa’s desk so that he too could see the footage.

T’Challa rewound the feed and played it back. “Right there!” Ross said and pointed at the monitor. Both Barton and Wilson were clearly visible but T’Challa just frowned and then looked back at the CIA agent.

“I see nothing,” The King muttered. “It’s an empty hallway Ross,”

“What, no!” Everett uttered as he looked from T’Challa to the screen. “They are right there!”

“If you want I could call Shuri or Okoye here. One of them could take a look and tell you themselves.” T’Challa offered. “Maybe you got more concussed than we thought.”

“My eyes and ears are fine,” Ross retorted. “I know what I saw and heard. Why don’t you call both women here? You’ll see!” He didn’t know what was going on but something was seriously wrong here.

Okoye and Shuri came within minutes of the call and T’Challa explained why they were needed. Everett was still muttering that nothing was wrong with him as Shuri and Okoye both watched the hallway video.

When the women looked up they frowned at Ross. “Nothing is there,” Shuri stated. Even General Okoye was shooting Ross a somewhat contemplative look but also stated that she saw nothing out of the ordinary either.

“Maybe you should go lie down?” The Princess suggested.

“This can’t be happening,” Ross murmured. “Has someone messed with your minds?” He asked aloud and then his eyes widened. Of course that could be the reason. “That’s it isn’t it?! Someone’s been messing with your minds!”

“Agent Ross, maybe you should take a seat and calm down,” T’Challa now suggested.

“Oh, no no no,” Ross backed up. “I’m not taking a seat. I’m going to the East wing to find out just what’s been going on!” He started making his way to the door but Okoye blocked it.

“Look, what’s the harm in taking a look?” He turned back slightly and asked. “If there really is nothing then I’m clearly hallucinating and need to go back to bed. If they are still here then someone messed with your heads and it’s a serious breach of security.” That seemed to have Okoye stiffening. She surely wouldn’t like such a breach to occur.

“Your Highness, maybe it wouldn’t hurt to check.” Okoye offered. “Mind control, as we have already seen, is not out of the realm of possibility.” The siblings looked at each other for a moment before both followed Ross and Okoye out of the office.

The corridors of the East wing were quiet as the four made their way through. Shuri was explaining to Ross that this wing was mostly guest suites that housed dignitaries and their families during nights of celebration.

“And you housed the Ex-Avengers here as well?” Ross asked T’Challa. The King nodded and then the agent muttered “No one told me that so why would I specifically lead you to the East wing?”

The muttered statement got T’Challa frowning and he adopted a pensive look until they reached the suites that used to house the Rogues. The suite had a thick ornate wooden door and Ross held up his hand as he leaned a bit closer. “Do you hear that?” Ross whispered as Okoye now did the same thing.

“Voices,” The General confirmed. “There shouldn’t be any here.”

T’Challa gripped the door handle while telling Shuri and Ross to hang back slightly. Okoye had her spear ready while she used her Kimoyo beads to call for backup in case they would need it. When T’Challa opened the door his eyes widened at the sight. “What are you lot doing here?!” He demanded as his eyes narrowed. Ross didn’t comment on it but he was sure he saw some red mist leave T’Challa’s eyes.

“Huh?” Scott mumbled as he looked at the King and the entourage.

“What is he doing here?!” Sam asked as his eyes narrowed when he spotted Ross. He still remembered Bucarest and the man having his wings impounded.

“He is my guest. You all however are not,” T’Challa stated as he looked around the room. Barton stared at them with a glass in his hand. He was obviously on the way to the pitcher of water in the corner. Wilson still glared at Ross, Lang looked confused and Rodgers wouldn’t meet his eyes. Wanda however was staring at him without blinking.

“What do you mean?” Scott asked with furrowed brows. “You gave us asylum.”

“And then my brother rescinded it when Rodgers and the Witch went on a foolhardy quest to tamper with Sergeant Barnes’ mind.” Shuri cut in as she glared at the group.

“What?!” Now Sam nearly shouted and then looked at his friend. “You told me Barnes went into cryo again!”

“And you had the Witch tamper with our minds to make it seem like you left when you really hadn’t?!” T’Challa accused as several Dora arrived. “You all will leave my country this instant!”

“Wanda why?!” Clint now asked as he backed up a step. The archer had been nervous about mind control powers ever since New York but he did trust Steve’s judgement when he brought Wanda on board.

“I didn’t use it on you Clint,” Wanda muttered as if that would make it all better. “Just them,”

“Why?!” Clint now looked at her. “You didn’t ask for permission. We talked about boundaries.”

“I had permission,” Wanda stated and then looked at Steve. It was quiet for a moment before everything clicked.

“What the actual fuck?!” Clint shouted as his eyes now narrowed at the Captain. Sam said nothing but the look he shot Steve and Wanda conveyed just how disgusted he was. Scott backed away from the couch he was on when he saw Wanda’s hands tingle red.

“Don’t worry, you won’t remember any of this,” Wanda said as she stood up and used her magic on T’Challa just as Steve called out for her to stop.

T’Challa closed his eyes when a massive headache hit him. He vaguely remembered falling to his knees but not what happened afterwards.

_He was in the prison under the palace, down on the ground, unmoving as the Witch had her red-tinged hands around his temple. He could see several of the Dora also unconscious on the ground near him._

_“Wanda we shouldn’t be doing this,” He could hear Steve’s voice._

_“Don’t you want to find your precious Bucky?” Wanda asked innocently._

_“Yeah, but…….” Steve was hesitant._

_“Look, if he banishes us from Wakanda we’ll be without resources. You’ll never find Bucky then.” Wanda could be heard arguing._

_“I don’t want you to hurt any of them!” Rodgers said adamantly._

_“And I won’t,” Wanda muttered. “I’ll just make them forget that we’re here.” She said. “We’ll just be background noise to them while you try to locate your friend.”_

_“What if they break your spell?” Steve now asked._

_“Only if someone comes looking for us directly. That’s the only way we’d be noticed.” Wanda stated. “But no one is even going to remember that we stayed.”_

T’Challa woke up with a gasp and a serious migraine. “My King,” A female voice said and he looked up from the bed he was in to see Ayo bowing to him by the door to his room. “I am so glad to see you awake.”

“What happened? Where are Shuri, Okoye…….” He mumbled as he accepted the glass of water Ayo brought.

“Everyone is fine your Highness,” Ayo stated. “It was in fact Captain Rodgers who got the Witch to stand down, though you were already affected by her magic. The Dora apprehended all of them and Princess Shuri gave the order to expel them from Wakanda’s borders. She even came up with quite a creative fashion.”

“What did Shuri do?” T’Challa had to ask even if he was afraid to know. Sometimes his little sister scared him.

“She had Okoye and the other Dora’s strap the Rogues into one of the Royal Talons and then she gave the keys to Ross and told him to go wild,” Ayo, while normally as stoic as Okoye, gave a small smile.

“She told Ross…….. To go wild?” T’Challa repeated with a frown.

“She may or may not have also shown him on how to disable the inertial dampeners on the Talon.” Ayo stated. “Agent Ross is quite an accomplished pilot and while you were knocked out the Talon did several death-defying loops and barrel rolls in the sky before ejecting all the rogues into the marshes outside the borders.”

T’Challa blinked for a moment and then asked “Shuri had them ejected mid-air?”

“They had parachutes of course,” Ayo stated. “But their landing would not have been pleasant.”

 

**AN: Welp, this chapter got away from me. I never intended it to be this long. Only two more chapters to go for this story and then I can write the next parts. Which will involve magic, mice, Deadpool, more magic, a crab, and a very confused Thor.**


	5. Chapter 5

**The Conclusion**

**Part 5: How Tony ran over a Bucky**

“Boss are you ready to go?” Happy asked when he stepped into the foyer of the penthouse. “Pepper said if I didn’t get you to this meeting on time that she would……”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m ready Happy.” Tony answered as he came out of his room wearing a three-piece burgundy suit. Loki who was lounging on his sofa with a book of questionable origins looked up for a moment to observe. “Pepper wouldn’t hurt you for the world Happy. You know that.” Tony admonished. “You’re just saying it for effect.”

“Well, how do I look?” Tony then asked as he spun once. Loki merely quirked a brow while Happy shrugged. “Oh come on, you guys are no fun.”

“You look like a billion bucks boss,” Friday answered.

“Now we’re talking,” Tony said just as his phone ringed.

“Hello?” Tony answered and in the background he could hear Happy complimenting Loki on last night’s dinner.

“Mr. Stark?” came from the other end of the line and Tony recognized the voice.

“Little Ross?” The billionaire asked amicably.

“Uhm….. what?” The person on the other line sounded perplexed.

“You’re the one from the Joint anti-Terrorism task force, right?” Tony asked.

“Uhm.. yes…..”

“Then you’re little Ross. The Secretary of State is Big Ross. I don’t like Bigg Ross much, but don’t tell him that,” Tony explained as if his nicknames were common. “Weren’t you on medical leave?”

“Uhm… okay, and yes. Everything is fine now on that front,” The man on the other end still sounded confused but he then powered through “I have some information for you,”

“How urgent is this information?” Tony asked “Cause my CEO might maim my driver today,” Happy let out a huff upon hearing that.

“It involves the Winter Soldier,” Ross said from the other end of the line. Tony’s eyes widened upon hearing that. It was a month after he got the call from T’Challa that the Winter Soldier had vanished from Wakanda.

“Okay, you have my attention,” Tony uttered while Happy groaned. They were already late now.

“CCTV and facial recognition caught a chase through Utrecht, Netherlands.” Ross explained. “We have a positive ID on Sergeant James Barnes. The Secretary is putting together a covert hit squad as we speak.”

“You aren’t asking me to be part of this hit squad are you?” Tony now asked as his brows furrowed. “Because let me tell you, if this is like Lagos again without their government knowing.”

“No, no. Nothing like that,” Ross now whispered. “I wanted to ask you if you could get there before the squad.”

“I could, why?” Tony now asked as he was intrigued. Everett said nothing for a moment but then uttered “I don’t exactly agree with the General’s way of doing things and I don’t have much evidence on him yet to openly oppose him but there have been rumors of him reactivating the Gamma radiation project that made the Hulk and Super Soldier research from World War 2,”

“How good are your sources?” Tony asked.

“I have evidence that he managed to get his hands on Rodger’s DNA and blood work.” Ross stated through the phone. “If he gets Barnes then he might be able to synthesize a Super Soldier serum.”

“Crap,” Tony cursed as he asked Friday to prep his suit. He then suddenly remembered something. “The people chasing Barnes, they with Big Ross?”

“No, we believe them to be remnants of Hydra,”

“Double crap,” Tony muttered as he stepped into the suit and ordered Friday to contact the proper authorities in the Netherlands.

“You can see my problem Mr. Stark. The Secretary has stopped my Task Force from acting.” Ross stated, obviously not pleased.

“Right, right, I’m on my way,” Tony said as he stepped into one of his suits. He just couldn’t let Barnes fall back into Hydra’s or Thunderbolt’s hands. Both seemed to be equally bad at the moment.

“Happy, tell Pepper I love her, that she’s the best CEO in the world, and that she doesn’t need to kill you because you couldn’t stop me!” Tony shouted before flying away.

“Wai-” Happy didn’t get to finish his sentence and just stood there staring at the escaping Ironman. He then turned to Loki as an idea popped into his head “Just how good are you with illusions?”

“Fri baby give me everything you have on the chase that involved Barnes,” Tony asked as he was already flying over the Hudson. A series of holographic images popped up showing Bucky sitting in a nondescript small cafe before he noticed several men in dark suits approaching. Bucky immediately bolted and the men gave chase.

“They weren’t very subtle,” Tony muttered.

“On the contrary boss. It seems that they had wanted him to run. There were several vans parked nearby in back alleys waiting for him.” Friday supplied. “Sergeant Barnes was able to overpower them though and made his way to the Utrecht train station. He lost them in the crowd and CCTV shows him boarding a train to Amsterdam.”

“Okay, can you track him from there?” Tony asked.

“Not sure boss. CCTV lost sight of him in the crowd near Madame Tussauds.” Friday answered.

Tony cursed silently. Just his luck to lose the assassin in a highly populated area. “Okay, so next question, how did Hydra find Barnes so quick? I saw the footage. There is no way I would have picked out Barnes from the crowd if they hadn’t started chasing him.”

“Maybe a tracking device boss?” Friday suggested. “Maybe one he doesn’t know about.”

“Possible,” Tony uttered. “But then they would have found him when he was in Wakanda.”

“Boss, you should know that Barton’s tracking device, the one that you put in his bow when you made it, also stopped working when they reached Wakanda approximately.” Friday supplied.

“So conventional trackers stop working in Wakanda. They must have some serious tech there.” Tony concluded. “Friday scan for any anomalous transmissions in the areas, I don’t care how small.”

“Boss, that will take a couple of hours,” The AI told him.

“That’s fine. It’s not like we’re Strange and can cross the Atlantic through a portal,” Tony stated.

Meanwhile back in New York, Happy was holding open the car door for Tony Stark?! “Are you sure this will work?” Loki, disguised as Tony asked with a frown.

“It has to,” Happy mumbled. “It’s one of the biggest meetings this time of the year for SI and if the boss doesn’t show up then the investors might lose confidence. Stock will plummet and Pepper will be on a warpath again. Look, your illusion is flawless. It will work.”

“It’s not my illusion I’m worried about. I’ve only been able to observe Tony for a month. Those that know him won’t believe it’s him.” Loki stated as they walked in.

Loki and Happy made it to the elevator and luckily it was empty. They exited on the floor housing Pepper’s office and she was there to greet him. “Tony you’re la-” Pepper stopped mid-sentence and then frowned. “You’re not Tony,” She muttered and a gulp from Happy drew her attention. “Happy, where the hell is Tony?!”

“Well…. Uhmm… you see……..” Happy sputtered.

“He’s chasing down the Winter Soldier and Hydra in Amsterdam,” Loki didn’t beat around the bush and told her the facts. He leaned against the wall in a very un-Tony like gesture with crossed arms.

“Loki?” Pepper asked with furrowed brows. “I’m guessing this wasn’t your idea.”

“I was just enjoying a book on Theories about Celestial origins when I got roped into this,” Loki said and Happy shot him a look that said ‘traitor’. Meanwhile Pepper was dialing a number on her phone and when it finally connected she screeched into it “Tony where the fuck are you?!”

Neither Loki nor Happy could hear what was being said on the other end of the line but Pepper’s face darkened. “I swear Tony, I’m this close to sending Loki after you,”

“I…. eh… was actually going to make braised rabbit tonight,” Loki mumbled and now Pepper’s dark look was directed at him. “Although a detour to Amsterdam might not be such a bad idea,” Loki quickly added with a slight cough. Something about Pepper’s dark look promised a whole lot of problems. “Yes, I could pick up some tulips for the lady Pepper,”

“I’ll…. Uhm… just go call and get the jet ready,” Happy mumbled and then skedaddled leaving Loki alone with Pepper.

“So……..” Loki muttered.

“Look, why don’t we skip all the hoops and just say that I know you have a tracking spell on Tony.” Pepper stated causing Loki to raise a brow. “In the month that you’ve been here you’ve pulled him out of several situations where you were nowhere close to.”

“Couldn’t it all have been a coincidence?” Loki asked.

“Was it a coincidence that you were at the same bar as that con artist that was trying to slip Tony a roofie? Or was it coincidence that you dragged his drunk ass back to the tower on the anniversary of his parents’ murder?” Pepper asked as she crossed her arms.

“Okay… okay,” Loki uttered. “I may have put several tracking spells on his armor and clothes. The man is a trouble magnet! And I owe him for letting me live in the tower for free. The least I can do is keep him out of trouble.”

“Right…. And him chasing Hydra isn’t trouble enough?” Now it was Pepper’s turn to raise a brow. “Don’t pretend that you weren’t going to jet off to Europe if you weren’t roped into this.”

Meanwhile, Tony had put his thrusters to good use and arrived in Amsterdam an hour early. He turned heads as he zoomed over the city and finally landed in a square where a lot of people were gathered. “Friday why did you make me land here?” Tony asked as he looked around at all the shocked faces of both the tourists and locals.

“Boss, I’ve managed to isolate an anomalous signal that was both present in Africa and here not so long ago.” Friday answered. “I’m 70% certain that it correlates to the tracker that Hydra has on Sergeant Barnes.”

Tony looked around at the busy street. People were crossing, trams were about to depart and it was nearly impossible to spot anyone through the masses. A pretty good place for an assassin, or ex-assassin, to hide. “Can you focus in on the signal Fri baby?” Tony asked as he looked to his right where a wax museum stood. Soon a holographic map popped up within Tony’s interface that gave him an approximate location. “You’re the best!” Tony told his AI as he took off again.

The signal was pinging along one of the many canals the city had. Tony flew over several that had tourist boats traveling through and soon reached a quieter, older part, of the city. Here the streets were not as bustling and the buildings were leaning at a small angle which suggested that the foundation wasn’t all that stable. Tony would have barely spotted Barnes if he hadn’t turned at the sound of his thrusters and then lowered his head under his hoodie.

“Barnes!” Tony called out as he landed, causing the man in question to freeze.

“What….. What are you doing here?!” Barnes asked as he took a step back when he saw that Tony was in full armor.

“Relax, I’m not going to kill you,” Tony said as he decided the best way to calm down the shifty former-Hydra assassin was to step out of his armor. He seemed less threatening that way.

“You should,” Barnes whispered and Tony nearly didn’t catch it.

“Look, I know you’re in trouble, but” Tony said but he didn’t get to finish when something metallic clanged onto the pavement between the two men. Bucky’s eyes widened as he recognized the stun grenade. Neither men had time to act as it detonated.

“Ugh,” Tony muttered when he came to. He had a headache forming, his gaze was blurry and he had trouble forming words. He didn’t know how long he had been out but that seemed to have been one powerful stun grenade. His arms were also killing him and it was then that he noticed that he was chained up by them and dangling a few feet above the ground.

When his vision finally stabilized he noted that he was being held in a run down room. The windows were covered with wooden planks and the whole place smelled moldy. ‘Probably an abandoned house,’ his mind supplied.

“You alright?” Barnes who already seemed to be awake, and chained up worse than he, asked. Tony guessed that the Super Soldier serum must have caused him to wake up earlier. The people that had taken then had apparently not only run heavy chains around Barnes’ body but they also bolted them to the wall. ‘So not General Ross’ people,’ Tony thought.

“‘Fine,” Tony mumbled since his jaw still felt a bit slack. “You know where we are?”

Barnes shook his head, that was probably the only body part he could move now anyways.

The wooden door creaked open and Tony’s head turned towards the sound to see a leggy blonde dressed in a revealing catsuit.

“You know, if I wasn’t tied up I’d greet you like a gentleman,” Tony snarked. The blonde however didn’t pay him any heed and instead turned towards Barnes.

“You’ve let us on a merry goose chase Soldat,” She uttered and he could see the contempt she had in her eyes. “Your disobedience will be corrected soon,”

“ _Belova, ty mozhesh' stavit' vse, chto khochesh', no nikogda ne budesh' luchshe originala._ ” He muttered, causing her to deliver a hard slap to his face. She snarled something Tony didn’t catch and then stalked out of the room, slamming the door loudly.

“You know, even I never got a slap from a woman that fast.” Tony remarked but then got serious “You said she wasn’t better than the original. I take it you two know each other?”

“I know of her,” Barnes mumbled. “Yelena Belova, one of the newer generations of Black Widows. Though why she joined Hydra is a mystery to me,”

“Wait, there are more Black Widows?!” Tony’s brows shot up in surprise. He always thought that it was simply Natasha’s alias.

“The Black Widow is a title given to the best graduates of the Red Room,” Barnes stated. “Hydra and the Red Room do have connections with each other. Your Black Widow would know more of her.”

“She isn’t my Black Widow,” Tony muttered. The last he had seen of Natasha was when he was warning her to be careful around Ross. The General had it out for her now because he got wind that she let Steve escape at the airport.

The door creaked open again, this time just a bit to allow a black cat to poke its head through. The cat once done taking in its surroundings, trotted inside and settled in the corner before starting its grooming session. Tony blinked for a moment as he observed the cat. He was sure that he had seen this particular cat before. ‘Nah, it can’t be,’ His mind supplied.

The door creaked open much wider after a few minutes to reveal Belova accompanied by two burly men. “Take the Asset to reconditioning,” Belova ordered. “Erase his entire personality this time if you have to,”

The men made their way to Barnes and he was struggling as they took hold of the chains. Meanwhile, the cat’s ears had perked up and its green eyes had settled on Belova. The feline eagerly made his way over and rubbed itself against her ankles while purring.

Belova looked down and then picked up the friendly cat. She cooed “ _Chto privelo vas syuda?_ ”

Tony recognized the phrase. Here was a feared Russian spy, cooing at a cat and asking what it was doing here while her henchmen were wrangling Barnes. It was probably one of the weirdest scenes he had witnessed and he had seen Rhodey on karaoke nights.

The scene that happened next though both entirely badass and a WTF moment. The cat transformed into Loki, startling Belova, Tony and most particularly Barnes who’s eyes went wide at the magic performed. Before the Widow could even act she was dipped like a dancer, her sidearm was taken by Loki in a manner of seconds and her thugs were shot before they could even react. Loki then knocked her out with the butt of the gun and let her drop to the floor in an unceremonial heap.

“Well that takes care of that,” Loki stated as he broke the gun in two with his mere strength. He then materialized a blade and cut Tony down.

“What are you doing here? How did you even get here?!” Tony asked as a dagger was thrust into his hands.

“We can talk about this later,” Loki stated. “Your suit is deactivated on the ground floor and there are still three people in the house who have probably heard the gunshots.

“Uhm…… Mr. Cat?” Barnes asked, not sure what to make of this guy. “Could you……” he indicated to the chains binding him.

“I could…….. But I don’t particularly like you,” Loki stated.

“Loki, can you just untie him?” Tony asked. “And maybe arm him? I doubt he’ll stab us in the back.”

“Like Rodgers?” Loki asked and nearly regretted it when Tony flinched. But this had to be said. “He’s the reason you got hurt. He’s the reason you cry in your sleep! Why should I trust him?!”

“He’s also the reason I’m still alive,” Tony stated as they could hear footsteps approaching on the stairs. “He came back to check on my injuries when Steve didn’t!”

Loki looked Tony in the eye for a moment before sighing and cutting Barnes lose with the swift flick of his blade. The chains could do nothing in the face of Asgardian blades and a dagger was thrust into Barnes’ hand as well.

“Do not make me regret this,” Loki muttered as all three faced off against the leftover Hydra agents that burst through the door.


	6. Chapter 6

**Part 6: A Ross by any other name**

Ross groaned as he woke up. His head was throbbing and he was face down on the floor of his own apartment. He was also tied up with duct tape and he now had to find a way to get free. Everything had all started this morning after his discreet call to Stark. The day had just spiralled out of control. It was either his luckiest day or his most unlucky one. He was leaning towards the latter since he currently needed to scratch an itch developing on his nose and his hands were tied behind his back.

That morning after the call ended with Stark he went up to the ground floor. Since his three months medical stay in Wakanda he had been put on probation. Mainly because he refused to tell his bosses just what went on after Busan and what he had seen in Wakanda. He figured that the CIA would keep him around because he was the only one who had actually made it into the heart of Wakanda. Something not even their other spies could do. Probation he expected. Being assigned the worst possible job in the building to make him crack, he also expected.

It was mind-numbingly boring work. He had been assigned to oversee the CIA records basement, which no one visited anymore because everything was digitized. The entire place was covered in dust and cobwebs. If his superiors thought he was gonna crack then they had another thing coming. All he had to do was keep his mouth shut about Wakanda for two more weeks. That was when T’Challa was going to do the big reveal at the UN. So on the morning of his new assignment Everett went down to the janitor’s closet grabbed a pair of mops and dusters and started cleaning. If he let a mouse or three escape the room and get into his boss’ office, well it wasn’t technically his fault. He was a lone man cleaning a large area and couldn’t keep track of all rodents.

  
The one upside about being alone in the basement was that he could snoop around the old records without anyone watching. Something had been bugging him about the Secretary of State even before Busan. Most of the records had been blacked out but the ones that he found seemed to suggest that General Ross was more invested in finding the Super Soldier serum than he let on. That was basically what prompted the call to Stark. That and watercooler gossip. CIA watercooler gossip was mostly spot on with rumors. Although he did not want to know just why Andy from Logistics was wearing mismatching socks today.

It was around nine o’clock when Ross had come out of his stuffy office again for more coffee and he had expected the offices to be quiet. Analysts rhythmically typing away valuable data. Instead the whole floor was in a flurry of activity. “What’s going on?” Ross had asked one of the agents passing by.

“We’ve located one of Klaue’s safehouses. It has a cache of weapons and Williams is sending out a team to gather them all up.” The agent spoke quickly.

“ROSS!” Speak of the devil and he shall call your name. Ross turned to the right to see Agent Williams come bounding towards him. They had never liked each other during training. Ross thought that it might have been because he got a lucrative assignment right off the bat while Williams had to start from the ground up. That first assignment had mainly involved Ross’ previous piloting expertise and that had later gotten him the position at the JCTC. Now with Ross’ probation they had put Williams in charge and oh, was the man smug and irritating. It might just be another ploy of his superiors to make him crack. Seeing his rival take over his job. He might let a mouse run lose in the man’s office after lunch.

“Yes agent Williams?” Ross turned towards the man looking calm and unruffled. That seemed to get on the man’s nerves just a bit. Williams might have thought that Ross would have let some emotion show.

“We’re short on manpower so I’m sending you with the team to go catalog everything in Klaue’s safehouse.” Williams worded it so as if to say that Ross wasn’t part of the team anymore. Maybe he wasn’t but it didn’t ruffle his feathers that much. There would be a surprise waiting for the CIA in two weeks and it wasn’t just what T’Challa was going to reveal. “Can I count on you to not disappear for three months while doing it?”

And there was the spite. He could have just brushed it off but he was feeling particularly sassy today so he answered with “If I don’t get shot, sure.”

Williams sputtered as Ross walked away towards the team that was assembling their gear.

Klaue’s safehouse apparently was situated in Florida, in a retirement community…………. Near a nude beach. The flight time lasted approximately two hours and the team got there by noon. It looked like any other home in a wealthy neighbourhood. This one just had a basement full of weapons and possibly vibranium stored. Maybe the attic too. Knowing Klaue, probably the walls and the yacht docked behind the house as well.

Everett entered the house and gave a low whistle. It was extravagantly furnished. Several of the younger agents had been assigned to this team to give them experience in the field and he noticed one was running a device along the wall.

“Excuse me,” Everett said as he approached the man. “What are you looking for?”

“Uhm….. Vibranium, sir” The agent answered after he had been startled.

“Then you might as well rip the walls out. Vibranium can’t be detected by conventional metal detectors.” He muttered, figuring he’d save the young man some time.

“Uh, how do you know that sir?” The agent asked more curious than suspicious.

“Yes, how do you know that?” A much deeper voice asked and Ross turned around to see the Secretary of State standing behind him.

“Uhm…..” Ross gulped. Of course Shuri had explained the whole thing to him, atom models included, and even showed him what would detect Vibranium but he just couldn’t tell the Secretary that. So instead he told him something believable “Klaue didn’t set off the metal detectors in Busan with the vibranium in his pants,” Which he didn’t. Just the multiple weapons he and his men were armed with.

The Secretary seemed to buy it and then ordered for the agent to get a sledgehammer for the walls. “Why are you here Mr. Secretary?” Ross now asked as the two stared at each other.

“I’m here to secure any advanced weapons and vibranium you guys find,” The man told him imperiously as Ross followed after him and through the throng of agents that were busy bagging and tagging things. Someone had already found a high-powered rifle under the couch.

“So when will the Wakandans be brought in?” Ross asked and the General turned around giving him a nasty glare.

“Why would we bring them in?” The other Ross scoffed.

“Because it’s their Vibranium that got stolen?” Everett raised a brow. “It’s only right to return it.”

“Oh my god, you’re actually serious!” The old man laughed. “Vibranium is the rarest metal on Earth. Why wouldn’t we keep it?” The Secretary now asked. “It’s bad enough that your team handed over what Klaue had back in Busan.”

“Excuse me?!” Everett now asked with his eyes narrowed. “The mission parameters for that OP clearly stated that we were acquiring the Vibranium to return back to Wakanda in return for friendlier relations.” He shot back. “It just so happened that they were in the area so it got returned sooner.”

“Oh my god, this is why I hate your attitude.” The Secretary now muttered and Everett noted that they had gotten some eyes on them. Several of the newer agents were listening in on the convo that was never really private. Only the Secretary seemed to have forgotten that. “You’re a good agent Everett but you’re also a goody-two-shoes. You returned the rarest, most valuable metal on Earth to a Third world country. What are they going to do with it?!” The man now laughed. “Make clothes out of it?”

‘Well, you aren’t far off,’ Ross thought but didn’t say since the Wakandas did sew Vibranium into their clothes. He kept his mouth shut as the former General ordered him to get to work. Ross shot him one last glare before he grabbed a datapad to start cataloging. Through his work he didn’t notice the glances some of the younger agents shot him. Many were new to the taskforce. Just coming out of training and doing the grunt work. The glances were respectful because any agent that could stare down the Secretary that had hunted the Hulk was not one to be messed with.

Something caught Everett’s eye nearly an hour into cataloging weapons. They were done with most of the ground floor. They found weapons already and hadn’t even made it to the basement of attic yet. The something that caught Everett’s eye was sitting innocently in an inconspicuous planter in a corner on a small table on the second floor.

“You have got to be kidding me,” Everett blinked as he stared at the Heartshaped herb that he would recognize anywhere. Nakia had told them that the garden had been burned and the only sample they had left she had used to save T’Challa from the ice. To think that Klaue got so far into Wakanda to get an herb was surprising. And here it was just sitting, innocently, like a common houseplant. Either Klaue didn’t know what he had taken or he was hiding it in plain sight. There was also the matter of Secretary Ross overseeing this cleanup. If the man knew that this plant gave superhuman strength……. Well…. That would be really really bad. The herb didn’t look too bad. It might need some more water but otherwise seemed fine.

Ross kept his eye on the plant discreetly and nearly freaked when one of the agents almost knocked it over. At the end of the day he was tired much like all the others. They had found a cache of weapons in the basement but no Vibranium. When they were getting ready to leave Ross gingerly picked up the planter.

“What the devil are you carrying?” The Secretary asked as he spotted Ross with the herb when he was coming out of the house.

“Well……” Ross had to choose his words carefully here. Time to play the Secretary like a fiddle. “It was the only plant in the house. Doesn’t it seem suspicious?”

Secretary Ross looked at Everett as if he was an idiot and then mumbled, “It’s a plant. Just get rid of it! We’re here for weapons.”

“But…..” Ross mumbled.

“Look, I don’t care what you do with that stupid ficus. Just get on the transport!” The man now ordered, a twitch of his brow evidence of his irritation.

Ross eagerly nodded and then followed the team with plant in tow. He had just basically gotten carte blanche for the herb from the Secretary of State, though he swore he heard the Secretary calling him a tree hugger under his breath, but as of right now he didn’t care. Little did he know, this plant was going to give him some trouble later.

That night when Ross finally got back to his apartment, that looked barely lived in thanks to his numerous missions out of State and Country, he was knackered to say the least. He quickly gave the plant some more water before taking out the long chain that held a Kimoyo bead that Shuri had given him. T’Challa had wanted to gift him one of the bead bracelets but that would have drawn too much attention at work so Shuri made a necklace that worked the same way. He just had to press the bead in the right place to open a communications line.

“Your Highness,” He greeted when T’Challa answered. Luckily with the time difference it was in the morning for the King. “I thought you should see this,”

T’Challa greeted him cordially but nearly fell out of his chair when Everett moved to reveal the plant. “Where did you get that?!” T’Challa nearly screeched as his eyes widened. The King looked like a startled panther ready to pounce with his hands on his desk and him leaning forward a bit.

“The CIA raided one of Klaue’s safehouses,” Everett told the man.

“And they let you just take it home?” T’Challa now asked.

“Luckily they didn’t know what it was,” Ross stated. “Look, I have no clue how to care for it so if you could please send someone over…..”

“Right,” T’Challa said as he calmed down somewhat. He sat back down in his office chair and told Ross “I’ll send Okoye and Ayo to come pick it up. Agent Ross you just keep on surprising me.” The man laughed and the call ended not long after.

Ross settled down on his couch. It was already past midnight and he still had work in the morning. If he wasn’t careful he would fall asleep right on the couch. A knock at his door however, woke him right back up. The knocking turned incessant and Ross got up while muttering “I’m coming, I’m coming!”

‘This better be urgent,’ Ross thought as he was about to give the person at the other end a tongue lashing for knocking so late. When he opened the door, he blinked. It was one of the female agents from the cleanup team and with her was a man he didn’t recognize.

“What…..” Ross didn’t even get to finish his sentence when he was hit by a powerful stunner. Much more powerful than a normal taser. He groaned and sank to the floor. He could barely keep his eyes open and focus. His hands were spasming too much for him to reach for his gun which was still in its holster on his belt. The two people came in and shut the door and Ross caught the end of a conversation.

“ _You shouldn’t have done that_ ,” He heard the woman admonish. He didn’t hear what the man said as everything finally went dark.

When Ross woke up he was in his current predicament. Tied up with duct tape on the floor of his apartment, a major headache coming on and an itchy nose. The sunlight was streaming through the windows and he guessed he must have been knocked out for a couple of hours.

Ross shimmied a bit towards the coffee table where he knew he had a letter opener stashed in the cup of pencils. Before he reached it though, after bumping against his couches, which prompted him to ask himself why he had so many couches again, there was a knock on the door.

“Agent Ross,” The person on the other end of the door called after rapping twice. Ross knew that voice anywhere. Okoye was here and he was so glad that his mouth hadn’t been duct taped. He called out loud enough for her to hear and was hoping she would kick his door open. What he didn’t expect was for the Dora to blow the entire door off its hinges. Now that would be a bit harder to explain to the landlord.

When Ross was finally freed he looked at the counter where he had placed the herb on. It was gone. He cursed under his breath and then he picked up his phone to look at the time. It was almost noon and he should have been at work four hours ago. There were several messages and missed calls from agent Williams but right now he didn’t care.

“Now what?” Okoye asked as she looked around the room. Nothing else seemed out of place so that would suggest that it wasn’t a robbery and that the people were after the herb from the beginning.

“Now we get their asses,” Ross muttered as he pulled out a device from behind his kitchen counter.

“What is that?” Ayo asked out of curiosity.

“I put a small tracker in the soil.” Ross told both Dora. “I wouldn’t be much of an agent if I wasn’t paranoid.” Okoye nodded approvingly as Ross turned on the tracker.

The tracker actually led the three to an apartment building near Connecticut Ave. “This is it,” Ross stated as Okoye and Ayo wasted no time in entering the building. Meanwhile, Ross’ phone vibrated again but he shut it off as the tracker started beeping now that it was getting closer. The beeping seemed to be the loudest at apartment 3C.

Okoye, blunt as always, kicked in the door without any preamble, startling the occupants inside. Both sides had weapons aimed at each other. Guns and sonic spears. Then something happened. The female agent’s eyes widened with recognition. “General Okoye?” She called in a distinctive Wakandan accent that Ross was sure he hadn’t heard last night. Surely but slowly both parties lowered their weapons. Ross had a distinct feeling that there had been a huge misunderstanding here.

And huge misunderstanding it was. Ross was less than pleased as he listened. It seemed the two people who assaulted him were Wakandan intelligence agents sent undercover. When the herb was stolen he thought that they might have been AIM of Hydra, or maybe even working for the Secretary if he did find out just what the plant could do.

They in turn thought that he was merely acting out his concern with the Secretary to get the plant out of high security. He had to assure then two times that he and the Secretary of State were not related in any way. What was most startling was that the two agents had found a secret lab that Secretary Ross funded to try and recreate the Super Soldier serum. He apparently, through backdoor dealings with Russia, had gotten his hands on the corpses of the Winter Soldiers that Zemo had killed.

It took nearly two hours to get everything out in the open and when Ross finally answered his phone the irate voice of agent Williams was right on the other side. “WHERE THE FUCK HAVE YOU BEEN?!” The man cursed.

“I was dealing with a bit of a crisis….” Ross tried to explain the best he could but his new boss’ voice interrupted him. “You should be damn glad you still have your job!” Williams spouted. “I have half a mind to fire you!”

The events of last night and today were already close to having Ross snap. He then growled into the phone “Well why don’t you?! I already gave my two weeks notice to HR!”

“Wait what?!” This threw Williams for a loop as the man suddenly sputtered. Ross guessed he was expecting him to make some sort of feeble apology and then beg to keep his job.

“You’ll never work in the Intelligence community again!” Williams now hissed.

“Who knows,” Ross shrugged. “I’ve accepted a job as Wakanda’s Foreign Policy advisor, so I’ll be there to clean out my desk later today or tomorrow.” He had signed the job contract before leaving Wakanda and had delivered his two weeks notice after the interrogation from his superiors. Now all he had to do was settle the affairs with his apartment and wait out the two weeks. He’d leave without anyone being the wiser but that went out the window now. When Ross ended the call agent Williams seemed to have been choking on his water.

**The End**

**AN: The series in chronological order as of now is; Part: 1,4,2,3**  
**More parts will be added to fill up some gaps and more villains will be introduced.**


End file.
